Home From War
by thehush
Summary: Post-Zero Tolerance sagas. Generation X AU. The story covers the days following the team's return to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters after Spring Break. Jubilee/Angelo
1. Chapter 1

"**Home From War" by Erin**

_"April Showers"_

In the late days of April, the outer reaches of New York State were a muggy warm from a cold winter and wet spring. It made waiting for your ride home uncomfortable, even for someone safe and dry inside. Jubilation Lee felt cold and miserable at her spot in the front meeting room window. She had been staying with the X-men for a month now and was surprisingly anxious to get back to the Academy.

Seeing the team was refreshing, but after almost a year and a half with real teammates back in Massachusetts – it was lonely without them.

"Jubilee, you haven't said goodbye to everyone already have you?" Jean walked in from the adjacent sitting room.

Jubilee shrugged, keeping her eyes on the driveway outside. "I guess so. Everyone that wanted me to find them."

Jean opened her mouth to say something more positive, but she knew the girl was right. Not everyone was comfortable with having the ward back in the house again. Those who weren't close to her mostly saw her as Logan's tagalong, despite their polite kindness. She had to admit, having Jubilee back in the house didn't feel right, and she knew Jubilee didn't feel any better about being the third wheel in the house.

They might have openly said she was an X-man, but a house full of thirty-somethings was more than an awkward place for an almost seventeen-year-old girl.

"You only have two more months till summer vacation, right?" Jean sat down beside the girl, trying for conversation.

"Yeah, but we all have to do Summer School since we missed two months of class." Jubilee smiled a little. "I actually miss class though, it's better than moping around here."

"Bu-" Jean started to retort, but found herself shot down again without even knowing it. None of the kids were actually getting counseling, they seemed to be adjusting well enough with just each other than talking to any of them. She had seen all the letters going back and forth between the five of the "fully" recovered students. "Well, Summer School shouldn't be so bad, you'll still have time to come an visit for your last few weeks…"

"Nah." The girl's smile didn't die like Jean thought it would – that shocked her enough to consider reaching out telepathically to the teen just to catch a trace of her mental state. "We're all staying home and hitting the carnivals after Summer School ends." She turned and caught Jean's eyes. "You guy's will probably be busy anyway."

A part of Jean felt incredibly small – as though she had been caught in a lie. Surely though, she wondered, they had always been around when she came up to visit. That was the lie, she realized, looking down at her wedding ring in thought. It was one of the many reasons her visits were so uncomfortable. Jubilee was a responsibility no one really wanted; despite the fact the girl didn't need their care anymore. She was a child who had become a guest and a friend – but old habits die hard.

"You've really grown Jubilee." She noticed a car pulling up outside and reached out to try and smooth down the perpetually spiky black locks of the girl's hair. "We're really proud-"

Before her hand made contact, Jubilee stood up and snatched up her bags. "Come on Artie! Leech!" As the sounds of wild thumping sounded over their heads, she turned and gave Jean a small smile. "See you on Tuesday, Mrs. Grey."

Jean was numb as she watched Jubilee turn away and make sure that Artie and Leech had all their things before rushing outside and into the rain. She couldn't look outside for fear of not seeing the once little girl looking back at the mansion mournfully.


	2. Chapter 2

_"Moving Up"_

_Wot the 'ell?_ Jonothan Starsmore blinked at the basement that used to be his bedroom. His sanctuary. His cave. Now all there was were the distinctive shadows of boxes and the discarded remnants of Mondo's things. A wound still too sore to sort through.

A familiar combination of feet and sidestepping brought Jonothan back into the hallway where Sean stood with his hand pressed against the concrete wall. "Sorry son, had to move ya upstairs. Should of told ya on the phone."

The man's student couldn't look any darker in the barely lit doorway. _Why didn't you ask me to move it before I left? _

Sean shook his head and carefully guided the young man up the basement stairs. "Ya needed a break, Jono. I wanted you to be with your family as long as you could before coming back to school." As they reached the top of the stairs and walked out into what were once the boys' dorms, Sean turned back and locked the door and started towards the stairs. "Even, Angelo was happy to move it all – almost by himself despite my wishes. Never seen the boy work so hard."

Jonothan's dark mood seemed to lift a little at the mention of his friend, who had only called home to see how Gil was holding up since the raid. He had stayed on for the break, helping out where he could. Of course, Jonothan hadn't known this when he had left. The week the team had come back from LA was still a blur, even for him. His parents still hadn't a clue why they had been honored with a visit. After a year and a half of barely any word, the youngest Starsmore gracing their London doorstep was more of a welcoming experience than he had ever expected.

His professor was right; he needed a little bit of London back in his life after their so-called 'Spring Break'. That's what they had been told to tell everyone that hadn't been involved. It was a good story – but Emma was always good at lying.

Climbing up the stairs, he felt a strange sense of first day jitters from what he figured must have been a far off memory, since the power making up his stomach didn't quiver. He could hear the familiar sound of Paige's stereo as she sat in her newly built single. She was sprawled out on her bed, catching up on homework they hadn't yet been assigned. With the prospect of a new curriculum, the girl was eager to get back to her life.

He accidentally caught her eye and she paused to smile softly in his direction. Instinctively, his head bowed down to hide his eyes before he kicked himself and nodded her way.

A hand tugged his arm the opposite direction of Paige's room. "Come on, boyo, ya can catch up with her over dinner."

Glaring, Jonothan followed where he was pulled, finding himself at the other end of the hallway. The second single from the end was marked with a removable nameplate marked _Starsmore_. Sean leaned against the wall separating it and the last door. "Go on in, I think ye'll like it."

Hesitating a little at the thought of what Angelo could of done to his potential space; he grabbed the doorknob and carefully opened it. Peering in, he found the blackout shade was making it hard to even see. He cautiously step into the room and shuffled over the wood floor as best he could in boots, opening the shade with the hand that wasn't making sure he didn't bump into anything. As his eyes readjusted to the light he discovered the walls were in fact painted black, posters he still hadn't unpacked tacked up over his new bed and desk. His fish eyed him from a wall, a spot built for them in the bookshelf slash entertainment center he was sure Emma was happy to splurge on. Photos in frames, books in shelves, and even his records were tucked into a new shelf for his record player. He was pretty sure he could even smell that all his laundry had been washed and folded up properly in his dresser. He would have to bug Angelo for his "other stuff" though, if he knew his friend well enough to know he would horde it in the safety of his occupied room.

Setting his duffle bag down, Jonothan looked back at Sean, who leaned in the door with a look that sat between smug and relieved. _If I didn't like it so much, I'd be a bit pissed 'cause this looks like the whole Xavier staff is sucking up to us._

His teacher tried not to look taken back. "Xavier's doesn't suck up, Jono, we just…" he stopped, noticing something down the hall that could rescue him. "Ah, Everett, welcome back lad!" With a brief wave, "Supper's at seven, don't skip out, alright?" Sean closed the door and left him alone to blink in surprise.

_The man's lost it._ Jonothan shook his head, looking around his new room again to see if he had missed anything.

He had. Mounted up on the wall, hidden from view from the door by his shelf, was his guitar. It was weird to see it out; he had kept it packed away for his own sanity. For once, it didn't bother him to look at it.

Now, to actually make himself get out and thank someone. 


End file.
